Evacs were yesterday!
I wish I could paint a perfect picture for you of what I went through.
We got to school at 7:30, as usual, and ate a hearty breakfast of cheerios....again. We walked as a class to the cabin trainer, and you could see the panic in everyone's eyes.
Do I know my commands? Will I remember the red inflation handle? How do I preflight a POB? What if the smoke is too thick?
My stomach churned as I waited. Group 5. I climbed the stairs to act as a passenger in each mock flight. Group one began their boarding announcements. I tried to stay a step ahead in my mind to make sure I knew my stuff: announcements, close bins, announcement, door close, announcement, arm doors, cross check, head count, dim lights, safety demo, compliance varification, lock lavs, dim lights more, jumpseat, brace position, crash, EVAC! Follow captain's commands, shout, "Release seatbelts, get out, leave everything! Stand back," assess conditions, open door, pull inflation handle, yell, "You, help at the bottom, send people away from the plane," yell, "Come this way, jump and slide, get away from the plane," open the other door, yell commands again, search cabin for remaining passengers, exit aircraft, round up passengers, no smoking, check injuries, head count. Done.
Wow, I couldn't believe I knew what was supposed to happen. I could tell when people were making mistakes. I knew when people were nailing it.
Then, it was time to pull positions from a bag.
"A"
Crap! The hardest position. My heart raced. I knew I knew it, but one slip up meant failure, and failure meant retakes. And a failed retake meant home.
I paced and prayed. I did this in college...like a pleading with God. "Lord, you know I studied this, you know I practiced, please bring it back to my memory." The Lord is good. ;)
My crew boarded. I aced my preflight equipment checks, gave a superb crew briefing, and made my announcements in a clear, strong voice. During the safety demo, smoke began to fill the cabin. It was amazing- my body just flew into action. I pressed the captain call button, described the location, color, and density of the smoke, and stood by. The captain gave the signal for an evacuation, and it was like second-nature. I whipped open those doors (that are super heavy, by the way), shouted my commands, looked for passengers, and saved them all!!
My adrenaline was pumping! I knew I had nailed it. Holy cow!
During debriefing, Nectar told me I forgot a couple of things, but nothing vital. I PASSED!!!! I started crying!
And in that moment, I knew I could be a flight attendant.
